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FirstSpear Announces Partnership with Elite Defense

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

Today, FirstSpear announced a partnership with Elite Defense that will expand FirstSpear’s channels to market, increasing access to the company’s innovative personal equipment solutions.

FirstSpear already has a product line of over 60 items that include vest systems, backpacks, pouches, holsters, and apparel. Elite Defense maintains a comprehensive network of qualified distributors and retailers around the globe and works extensively with specialized, research and development focused companies to facilitate the transfer of niche products into broader markets.

Capitalizing on a shared understanding of their products and their capabilities, Elite Defense will maintain FirstSpear product inventory and distribute products to retail dealers throughout the US. This partnership will maximize distribution opportunities for FirstSpear and facilitate the rapid filling of increasing demand for FirstSpear products.

“Partnering with Elite Defense will enable FirstSpear to support multiple markets, while maintaining our unique focus on developing innovative, field-driven solutions,” said Scott Carver, CEO and President of FirstSpear. “As we grow our product line, collaborating with Elite Defense will ensure our expanded reach into new channels, without sacrificing the direct R&D work with our end-users that drives our technologies.”

“At Elite Defense, we work with industry leaders to grow their business and help further their success. We are excited to join FirstSpear in their work to pioneer lightweight, innovative solutions for our soldiers and professional users domestically and abroad.” said Brett Westcott, Vice President of Business Development & Marketing at Elite Defense. “Working together we will establish a limited quantity of dealers in strategic demographic areas to represent the FirstSpear line, and get these solutions to the field quickly.”

FirstSpear will be displaying their current line of next-generation products and releasing over 25 new items at the 2012 SHOT Show taking place from January 17-19, 2012 in Las Vegas. FirstSpear and Elite Defense will be sharing booth #27411 and interested retailers may contact Elite Defense to schedule a product review at the show or to learn more about becoming a dealer.

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HyperStealth Retains The 132 Group

Thursday, November 24th, 2011

Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp. announces that the company has retained the services of The 132 Group as Advisers and Consultants. The 132 Group’s Principle Officer is William (Bill) Jarvis who has worked with Guy Cramer, President/CEO of Hyperstealth over the past few years while serving as the R&D Manager for ADS Inc.

Mr. Jarvis is a 20 year Navy veteran who spent 19 years in Naval Special Warfare (SEAL Team). Bill spent his last three years on active duty working programs in support of NSW Combat Systems Proponent at Naval Special Warfare Group 2. He was involved in the Special Operations Forces Protective Equipment Advanced Requirement (SPEAR) Program, worked on several camouflage programs and initiatives as well as the Naval Working Uniform (NWU) Type II and III program that fielded Area of Operation specific patterns to Navy Ground Forces.

The 132 Group is a network of former SEAL Operators and Naval Special Warfare Technicians who provide programmatic, equipment specific, and Business Development services to companies desiring to develop or increase their technologies or ability to provide their specific goods and services to the Government.

Bill has accompanied Cramer on a number of briefings to different U.S. Special Forces Commands, British Military Headquarters in Bristol and the Royal Navy’s SBS (Special Boat Service) base in Poole earlier this year and is one of only a few people to see the actual SMARTCAMO (color changing material) and also the Quantum Stealth (Light Bending Material) during a recent briefing.

Cramer comments “Bill is a very experienced operator and has a grasp on our development issues with these new technologies. I was never in the military and do not pretend to fully understand the nature of their operations. Bill has been very quick to point out problems or drawbacks of my prototype technologies which I can then use to problem solve. Given the nature of our intellectual property, it’s difficult in business to build a solid trust without having to always look over your shoulder, I am entirely comfortable with Bill as I have never seen him deviate from his ethics and morals and those are rare qualities to find in people today. Bill’s addition to our team is more or less a continuation of the work he was doing with ADS Inc. but he now has the time for greater participation with our company and we are already moving ahead on a number of projects that Bill’s company; “The 132 Group” has brought to our attention.”

Hyperstealth continues to have a great working relationship with ADS Inc. and ADS looks forward to working with Bill on a new level. Hyperstealth will be in the ADS Inc. booth at the Shot Show in January and Mr. Jarvis will be there representing Hyperstealth.

www.hyperstealth.com

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SOTech Back in the Mix

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

You may have heard a whisper here, or a rumor there that Special Operations Technologies and their owner Jim Cragg had been debarred from federal contracting. Well, the truth of the matter is that they were on GSA’s Excluded Parties List System which serves as a clearing house for debarred parties but they’re not there anymore.

They were placed on the list on 1 September of this year in a proposed status and removed just over two months later after it was determined by the Army’s Suspension and Debarment Official that they should not be debarred. SOTech’s owner was a federal witnesses against Joseph Marak and somehow was inadvertently placed on the debarment lost along with Marak and the prosecution’s other main witness Skedco. Both Marak and Skedco thus far remain on the list, although, it’s highly unlikely Marak will be removed based on his fraud conviction.

After speaking with the Army’s SDO, we found out it’s not that hard to be placed on the list. It seems, if somebody accuses you of wrongdoing, or just makes a clerical error, the Government places you on the same list as those that have been debarred for cause. You sit in a proposed status during the investigation. Not only are you in the same database as those who are debarred for cause, you can’t compete for Government contracts until they take you off the list. Doesn’t matter how innocent you are, you look guilty. Until the investigation is complete, you look like a crook.

Fortunately for SOTech they only sat in limbo for two months. Now, they are back in the mix.

Look for an article next week where we take a look at how this happened and how the system is flawed to the point that a company must pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees in order to stay in business and clear their name.

In the meantime, check out the Excluded Parties List System for yourself. www.epls.gov

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Posted in Contracts, Industry | 7 Comments »

Drop Zone to Introduce PenCott Greenzone

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

Drop Zone Tactical has indicated that they will introduce PenCott Greenzone camouflage pattern into their line of Recce Smocks, Boonie Hats, Ops Pants and Ops Shirts. No word yet on when the introduction will begin, but announcing intent is the first step.

www.dropzonetactical.com

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USMC Seeking Modular Armor System

Monday, November 21st, 2011

The Marine Corps posted a Sources Sought Notice late last week for a new “Modular Armor System” to replace both Plate Carrier and Improved Modular Tactical Vest which hasn’t even been fielded yet.

Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) is conducting market research, and identifying potential sources and best practice information towards designing, developing, and procuring a Modular Armor System. The system will allow the individual Marine to configure and tailor the armor level based on mission requirements.

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) envisions at this time a single system that will be capable of providing the area of coverage of the current USMC Plate Carrier and expanding to a soft armor area of coverage equal to the USMC Improved Modular Tactical Vest (IMTV) with the Pelvic Protective System Protective Overgarment (POG). The system will be able to provide supplemental armor protection to the extremities.

The envisioned system will either integrate with current hard armor ballistic plates or a new hard armor plate design. There are no constraints on symmetry or materiel for soft and hard armor. Hard Armor threat defeat capability equal to that of the XSAPI is required with a desired maximum allowable areal density of 7.0 pounds per square foot. The soft armor performance within the torso and extremity regions is required to possess performance equal to the OTV CO-PD-00-2G with a desired maximum allowable areal density of .85 pounds per square foot. The carrier will possess the Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) webbing for the mounting of modular pouches, have a single pull emergency release located on the center of the vest below the neckline and integrate with the USMC Chest Rig without impeding the quick release of the carrier.

The desired system will not exceed the cumulative weight of the IMTV with torso and flank plates. This suite will enable the individual Marine to configure components to best meet specific mission requirements by optimizing/balancing human factors engineering (e.g. comfort and usability), integration with fielded Load Carriage Equipment (LCE) and cost (production and maintenance).

It is important to note that the RFI states that “Modular Armor System’s attributes have not yet been finalized” so this is your chance to help influence the writing of the final requirement.

Potential sources of supply have until 30 December, 2011 to notify the Marines of their concept. Additionally, the Program Management Office (PMO) will have representatives attending the January 2012 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Veagas. Look for a separate posting on FedBizOpps with details on how to arrange a visit.

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Posted in Armor, Contracts, Industry, MARCORSYSCOM | 10 Comments »

Source One CEO & President Attends 2011 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Gala

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Several months ago we told you that Mark Llano, Source One CEO & President was honored as the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2011 Florida Award winner in the Distribution and Manufacturing category. Last week, he attended the National Entrepreneur Of The Year gala in California. There, he met with former President George Bush, the 43rd President of the United States.

“I was very honored to have had the opportunity to meet President Bush and exchange ideas with some of my colleagues at the Strategic Growth Forum in Palm Springs,” said Llano. “Ernst and Young put together a fantastic event to celebrate who I feel are the backbone of America’s economy: Entrepreneurs. I’m looking forward to see what they have in store next year!”

www.buysourceone.com

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Take This! Oh Yeah? Well, Take That!

Saturday, November 19th, 2011

In 2009, KDH and Eagle Industries entered into a teaming agreement to bid on production of the USMC’s Improved Modular Tactical Vests and Plate Carriers. KDH was awarded contracts for production of both systems by the Marines. Initial production samples were made but some issues arose over the Government’s design and consequently costs rose. Eagle says that KDH couldn’t come to an agreement on pricing so, in September, Eagle Industries sued KDH alleging, “refusing to honor previously established prices, by offering Eagle only take-it-or-leave-it pricing, and by threatening to use entities other than Eagle to perform work encompassed by the Teaming Agreement.”

Eagle vs KDH

Naturally, KDH filed their own suit against Eagle. However, this one is a little tougher to follow. Had they just countersued they would have had to file in Missouri. But their suit alleges an entirely different set of circumstances. This means that the KDH suit was filed in North Carolina. You might think that KDH is a Pennsylvania company but you see, they moved to their current ISO 9001 facility in Eden, North Carolina from Johnstown, Pennsylvania in early 2010 after the passing of defense appropriations sugar daddy Rep John Murtha. At any rate, according to KDH, Eagle bought some armor to fulfill a contract, that they never paid for. They want their paper!

KDH vs Eagle

Now, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that these two suits, while focusing on two seemingly separate issues, are actually symptoms of a larger issue of corporate discord.

The defense budget is shrinking. There won’t be as many contracts in the future, as we have seen over the last 10 years, so expect to see more of these types of suits filed as companies begin to deal with the new reality. Things are getting tough. However, considering what lawyers cost, they both may well end up losing even more money on these lawsuits than they would have had they just sucked it up and made things happen.

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Posted in Industry | 5 Comments »

Hyperstealth Signs European Exclusives with Elba-Onyx Enterprises

Friday, November 18th, 2011

Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp announced today a series of exclusive camouflage pattern licenses for their SOPAT (Special Operations Pattern), SpecAm and CAMOPAT patterns and also the Passive Negative Ion Generator to Elba-Onyx Enterprises in European markets.

Hyperstealth President Guy Cramer said in a press release, “These licenses will allow our product a foothold in Europe and NATO with a proven company that knows how the system works over there. HyperStealth has worked with over 40 countries but those countries in Europe have been very difficult for us to penetrate to this stage. This deal will also help employ many Europeans as the products will all be assembled in Europe. Europe is also very open to the Passive Negative Ion Generator where negative ion devices are widely used and the benefits are understood by the general public, whereas the North American understanding is limited or almost non-existent.”

Negotiations have been under way since August of this year and Elba-Onyx has already arranged for a NATO certified European company to assemble these uniforms with the capacity to produce 1,500 uniforms per day.

Visit www.hyperstealth.com to read the whole story.

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Posted in Camo, Foreign, Industry | 2 Comments »

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